Shipping carton for further processing of product

ABSTRACT

A shipping assembly for a product, such as kebabs, designed to permit the receiver to complete the processing of the product including a generally rectangular outer shipping container, a generally rectangular slotted inner container within the outer container, a plurality of layers of product within the inner container, and a lower tray within the inner container spacing and supporting the plurality of layers of product above the bottom of the inner container. The outer container has a closed bottom, two pairs of opposing vertical sides and at least one end flap for closing the top of the outer container. The inner container has a closed bottom, two pairs of opposing vertical sides, and an open top. Each of the opposing sides includes at least one vertical slot for receiving the blade of a cutting device. At least one slot in each side is aligned with a corresponding slot in the opposing side to permit a cutting device to be inserted through the container through the corresponding slots. A plurality of skewers may be inserted through the plurality of layers of product, strengthening the assembly and permitting the product to be cut into kebabs by means of slicing the product into cubes with a cutting blade extending through corresponding slots in the opposing sides of the vertical sides of the inner container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to shipping containers and to devices forassembling kebabs.

Manual cutting of uniform cubes of meat and vegetables for assembly intoshish kebabs is an arduous and time-consuming task if more than arelatively small number of kebabs are being assembled. For this reason,a relatively wide variety of devices have been developed to relieve theindividual from the task of cutting each vegetable and piece of meatseparately.

One such device for cutting "mock chicken legs" (i.e., cubes of meat onskewers) is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,609,564. The device includes atable, a slotted box, a motor and a series of reciprocating blades. Thetable forms a square depression which is aligned with the reciprocatingblades and which is sized to receive the box. The box has two opposingpairs of vertical sides and a bottom in which there is formed a grid ofuniformly spaced rows and columns of grooves, in checkerboard fashion.Each pair of sides includes a series of vertical slots aligned with thegrooves of the bottom. The machine is further provided with a top platewhich rests within the sides of the box upon vertical spacer posts.

In operation, a plurality of layers of meat are placed in the box andare compressed by the top plate. A plurality of skewer sticks are theninserted downwardly through a series of countersunk apertures in the topplate, through the meat layers and into a corresponding series ofcountersunk bores at the bottom. The top plate is then removed, and theseries of reciprocating blades is aligned in the top of the slots in oneof the box's pair of opposing sides. The motor is then activated,causing the blades to cut through the meat to the bottom of the box. Theblades are then removed from the box, and the box is lifted and turnedhorizontally 90° and replaced in the recess of the table plate. Thecutting operation is then repeated, whereupon the contents of the boxforms a plurality of mock chicken legs.

Although kebab processing devices are available, however, no kebabprocessing device has gained widespread popularity in restaurants orbutcher shops. A primary reason for this is that most restaurants andbutcher shops do not make enough kebabs to justify the expense of thedevices heretofore available. Furthermore, even where expense is not adeterrent, the need to economize on the use of space usually is. Thatis, due to the generally bulky nature of these devices, most restaurantsor small butcher shops cannot justify the space required to store thesedevices.

These difficulties have led larger meat distribution centers, where thevolume of kebabs processed can justify the expense and space of theseprior art kebab processing devices, to prepare the kebab themselves fordistribution to restaurants and butcher shops. Even at these larger meatdistribution centers, however, the prior art devices have failed to gainacceptance and the kebabs are usually prepared by hand. Due to the delaybetween the processing of kebabs at these larger meat distributioncenters, and the consumption of the kebabs by the consumer, significantspoilage problems arise. Once the meat and vegetables are cut into smallcubes on individual skewers, air is able to envelop the kebabs on allsides, greatly diminishing the time period in which the meat andvegetables will remain fresh.

In addition to spoilage, however, the processing of kebabs at large meatdistribution centers poses significant transportation problems.Specifically, the kebabs must be transported in a manner which willminimize the extent to which the kebabs rub against one another, toavoid vegetables being broken from the skewers or causing the meat andvegetables to lose their crisp or fresh-cut appearance. As a result, theassembled kebabs can take up more volume than the corresponding amountof meat and vegetables required in their assembly.

There is needed an improved means of processing kebab which willdiminish the amount of time and labor involved in processing the kebabswhile remaining cost- and space-efficient. Further, there is also neededan improved means of shipping kebabs to maximize the use of space, whileminimizing spoilage and damage to the kebabs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention meets the needs of the prior art by providing anassembly particularly adapted for both the further processing of productand the shipping of such product.

One aspect of the invention is a shipping assembly for the furtherprocessing of product, such as partially processed kebabs, including anouter shipping container, a generally rectangular inner container withinthe outer container and a plurality of layers of product within theinner container. The inner container has a closed bottom, an open topand two pairs of opposing vertical sides. Each of the opposing sidesincludes at least one vertical slot for receiving the blade of a cuttingdevice. At least one slot in each side is aligned with a correspondingslot in the opposing side to permit a cutting device to be insertedthrough the container through the corresponding slots.

The assembly can be shipped to the final destination, whereupon thegenerally rectangular inner container may be removed from the outershipping container and layers of product can be cut into pieces by meansof inserting the blade of a cutting device through the slots of theinner container and sawing downward. For the processing of kebabs, it isdesirable that the shipping assembly include a plurality of skewers,which extend through the plurality of layers of product. The sawing ofthe skewered product into pieces, results in the forming of finishedkebabs. The insertion of skewers prior to shipping not only eliminatesthe need for assembling the cubes of product on the skewers aftercutting, but substantially strengthens the assembly during shipment.

In addition, the shipping assembly may be further provided with amoisture-resistant liner within the inner container positioned betweenthe plurality of layers of product and the inner container. This linerserves the dual purpose of protecting the inner container from moisture,while protecting the product within the liner from exposure to the air.

Another aspect of the invention is a shipping assembly for the furtherprocessing of product including a generally rectangular outer shippingcontainer, a generally rectangular slotted corrugated paper containerinsertable within the outer container, and a generally rectangular trayinsertable within the corrugated container. The tray includes an uppersurface for spacing and supporting a plurality of layers of productabove the bottom of the corrugated container. The assembly may include aplurality of skewers extendable through a plurality of layers of productwithin the corrugated container. Where kebabs, rather than individualcubes of meat are desired, the assembly may also include an upper tray.Desirably, the upper tray will have a series of apertures which can behorizontally aligned with a corresponding series of apertures in thelower tray. Skewers may be inserted through the product and theapertures of the tray or trays either prior to or after shipment.

The assembly provides a compact, convenient package for therefrigeration, storage and/or shipment of the product. Since the designof the assembly lends itself to manufacture by highly inexpensivematerials, the assembly is not only inexpensive, but also economizes onspace, as it need only be retained while used to ship or store products,after which point it can be discarded.

One of the important aspects of the invention is that the assemblyeffectively minimizes the amount of surface area of product exposed tothe air. Due to the dense packing of the layers of product upon oneanother, the surface area exposed to the air is limited to the portionof the surface area of the exterior of the cubes formed by the stackedlayers of product which contact the air through the slots of the innercontainer. When the assembly further comprises a moisture resistantliner between the layers of product and the inner container, the amountof total surface area exposed to the air is further diminished.

The unique design of the assembly further lends itself to the use ofblocks of insulating material, which decrease spoilage by preventing theproduct from warming quickly in a non-refrigerated environment.

Another important aspect of the invention is the manner in which theshipping assembly prevents the product from damage. In embodiments ofthe invention where both an inner container and an outer container areutilized, the sides of the inner container reinforce the sides of theouter container and the sides of the outer container reinforce the sidesof the inner container, complimenting one another and limiting potentialdamage to the product contained within the assembly. Where the assemblyis shipped with skewers extending through the product, the skewersprovide significant added tensile strength to the assembly. Furthermore,by shipping the product in a densely packed block within the assembly,the exterior layers of product protect the interior layers of productfrom damage. This is so even where the product is cut into cubes priorto shipment, due to the virtually perfectly matched surface of theadjoining cubes of product.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a shipping assembly inaccordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 perspective view of an assembled shipping of FIG. 1 with theouter shipping container and layer removed:

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the sawing of the layers ofproducts within the assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the assembly of FIG. 3 afterthe product has been cut and the inner container has been removed;

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view illustrating the relationship theupper tray and skewers of the assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an assembled embodiment of the shppingassembly of the invention with the outer container removed; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a kebab processed in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

For purposes of illustration, the shipping assembly of the presentinvention will be described in connection with a shipping assembly 11,shown in FIG. 1, especially suited for the further processing of meatand vegetables for the processing of forming kebabs.

The three largest components of the assembly 11 are an outer mastershipping container 13, an open top slotted inner container 15 and aflexible moisture-resistant liner 17. The outer container 13 surroundsthe inner container 15 and the liner 17. The liner 17 conforms to theinterior of the inner container 15, except at the top where it flaresdownward and outward, forming a short skirt 19. Referring to FIG. 2, aplurality of layers of product 21 are contained within the innercontainer 15, where they are sandwiched between an upper tray 23 and alower tray 25. A plurality of skewers 27 extend vertically through thelayers 21 of product and the upper and lower trays 23, 25, tying thelayers of product and the components of the assembly into a single solidcompact unit.

Referring now to Figure the master shipping container 13 or box ispreferably a 275C strength water-resistant adhesive corrugated papercontainer curtain coated on both sides which has a closed rectangularbottom (not shown), each of the four peripheral edges of which isintegrally formed with a vertical rectangular side 29. Each of thevertical peripheral edges of each side forms a 90° angle with, and isintegrally joined to, the adjacent peripheral vertical edge of eachadjacent side. Thus, it will be appreciated that the sides of thecontainer 13 form two pairs of opposing parallel vertical sides joinedto one another along their vertical outer edges. Extending upward fromand integrally joined to the horizontal upper edge of each of the sidesis a generally rectangular flap 31 extending the width of the side 29and adapted to cooperate with the other end flaps to close the top ofthe master container 13. Obviously, the size and number of the flapscould be varied, but it is desirable that the flaps cooperate tocompletely close the top of the container. Naturally, it would also bepossible for the assembly to utilize an outer container 13 sealed bymeans of a separate top, rather than through the use of integrallyformed end flaps.

The slotted container 15 or "jig" has a closed rectangular bottom 33,each of the four peripheral outer edges of which is integrally joined tothe lower edge of a slotted rectangular side 35. Each of the verticalperipheral edges of each side forms a 90° angle with, and is integrallyjoined to, the adjacent peripheral vertical edge of each adjacent side.Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the slotted container 15includes two pairs of opposing parallel vertical sides with each pair ofopposing vertical sides being joined together by the other pair ofopposing vertical sides. Each side of the container includes an equalnumber of parallel punched vertical slots 37. The slots 37 extend fromnear the bottom of the slotted container to a point spaced slightly fromthe top of the slotted container. The tops of the slots 37 are spacedsomewhat from the top of the slotted carton to increase the integrity ofthe slotted carton and prevent it from ripping. Each slot is parallel toand horizontally aligned with a corresponding slot in the opposingvertical side. That is, an object inserted through a given slot 39 at a90° angle to the side in which the slot extends will pass through acorresponding slot 41 in the opposing vertical side.

It is an important advantage of the present invention that the size,length and number of the slots can be varied depending upon the size andlength of the product desired. Advantageously, the slots are spaced anequal distance from the adjacent sides of the container and from oneanother, the desirability of which will be discussed in detail later.Preferably, the slotted container 15 comprises a 275C strengthwater-resistant adhesive corrugated paper container with a glued jointand curtain coating on both sides to provide extra moisture resistance.

The liner 17 is positioned within the sides of the slotted container toensure that the integrity of the slotted container 15 and the outercontainer 13 is not destroyed by water or juices released by the productduring shipment or storage. The liner is desirably a gussetedmoisture-proof, 2 mil polyethylene bag having a bottom (not shown) andfour sides 43 which conform to the interior surfaces of the slottedcontainer.

The corrugated paper lower tray 25 is preferably curtain coated on bothsides and includes a planar rectangular upper surface 45 and fourdownwardly extending vertical sides 47 and is snugly insertable withinthe slotted container 15 and the moisture-resistant liner 17. The sides47 of the tray are integrally formed with the peripheral edges of theupper surface 45 of the tray and space the tray above the bottom of theslotted container. The upper surface of the tray may be provided with aseries of apertures 47, arranged in rows and columns to receive thepoints of skewers. Desirably, each of the apertures 47 corresponds tothe midpoint between a vertical slot 39 of the inner container 13 andthe adjacent vertical slot or side, the significance of which will bediscussed below.

The lower tray 25 straddles a solid, generally rectangular polyethylene,styrofoam or other USDA-approved block of insulating material 49, thevertical sides 51 of which are slightly narrower and shorter than thesides 47 of the lower tray 25. The block 49 reinforces the upper surface45 of the tray and insulates the assembly 11 against changes intemperature without appreciably affecting the product carrying capacityof the assembly.

Layers of product 21, such as alternating layers of sliced beef,chicken, onions and peppers, are stacked on the upper surface 45 of thelower tray 25 in generally rectangular layers corresponding to the sides35 of the slotted container 15 and the liner 17. The height of thestacked layers 21 is equal to the length of the kebabs desired, butshould not be higher than the height of the slots 41. The densely packedlayers 21 essentially form a solid block of product.

The upper tray 23 is preferably curtain coated on both sides and has aplanar rectangular lower surface 53 and four upwardly extending verticalsides 55 having widths slightly narrower than the width of the interiorof the slotted container 15 and is insertable within the slottedcontainer 15 and the liner 17 over the layers of product 21.Advantageously, the lower surface 53 of the upper tray 23 is providedwith a series of apertures 57 arranged in rows and columns correspondingto the rows and columns of apertures 47 in the upper surface 45 of thelower tray 25.

Elongate skewers 27, each having a flat upper end 59 and a pointed lowerend 61, extend vertically downward through each of the apertures 57 ofthe upper tray 23, through the layers of product 21, throughhorizontally aligned corresponding apertures 47 in the upper surface ofthe lower tray and into the block of insulating material 49 positionedbetween the sides 47 of the lower tray 25. That is, as shown in FIG. 2,a skewer extending substantially vertically downward through an givenaperture 60 in the upper tray 23 at an angle of 90 degrees to the lowersurface 53 of the upper tray will extend through a correspondinghorizontally aligned aperture 62 in the lower tray 45. Advantageously,the tops of the skewers 27 are flat and are positioned in a single planespaced below the horizontal upper edge of the sides of the upper tray.

A solid, generally rectangular block of insulating material 63, such aspolyethylene, having vertical sides 65 slightly narrower than the insideof the vertical sides 55 of the upper tray 23 is positioned between thevertical sides of the upper tray over the upper ends 59 of the skewers27. Desirably, the height of the block 63 is such that the upper surfaceof the block is flush with the top of the upper tray and the slottedcontainer (as shown in FIG. 5). The block 63 reinforces the top flaps 31of the outer container 13 and insulates the assembly 11 against changesin temperature without appreciably effecting the product carryingcapacity of the assembly 11.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown a shipping assembly 111 whichhas been found to be particularly well adapted for shipping, storage andprocessing of kebabs. The assembly 111 is used in connection with amaster shipping container, as shown in FIG. 1, having a closed 77/8" by77/8" rectangular bottom, and four 77/8" by 11 3/16" verticalrectangular sides. The slotted container 115 has a closed 71/2" by 71/2"rectangular bottom (not shown) and four 71/2" by 11" rectangular sides135. Each side 135 of the container includes four 1/8" wide parallelpunched vertical slots 137, which extend from near the bottom of thecontainer to a point spaced slightly from the top of the slottedcontainer.

The liner 117 of the assembly has a 71/2" by 71/2" bottom (not shown)and four 71/2" by 17" sides. The lower tray includes a planar 7 5/16" by7 5/16" rectangular upper surface and four downwardly extending 7 5/16"by 1" vertical sides. Beneath the lower tray is a 71/2" by 71/2" by 1/4"styrofoam block of insulating material. The upper tray 123 has a 7 5/16" by 7 5/16 " rectangular lower surface and four 7 5/16 " by 2" upwardlyextending vertical sides. The assembly 111 is further provided withskewers 127 having a flat upper end and a solid generally rectangularblock of insulating material 163 slightly narrower than the inside ofthe vertical slides of the upper tray positioned over the upper ends ofthe skewers wherein the height of the block is such that the uppersurface of the block is flush with the top of the upper tray and theslotted container.

It will be appreciated that when the slotted container 15 is insertedwithin the outer shipping container 13 and the top flaps 31 of the outercontainer are sealed closed, the assembly 11 provides a compact,convenient package for the refrigeration, storage and/or shipment ofproduct for kebab and/or stew meat. Specifically, the product is denselypacked in a conveniently shaped assembly which maximizes the utilizationof space and can be stored or shipped in standard trucks andrefrigeration units.

One of the important aspects of the invention is that the unique designof the assembly 11 effectively minimizes the amount of surface area ofproduct exposed to the air. First, due to the dense packing of thelayers of product 21 upon one another, the amount of surface areapotentially exposed to air, even without the use of the moisture-proofliner 17, is limited to the portion of surface area of the exterior ofthe block formed by the stacked layers 21 which contact the air throughthe slots 35 of the inner container 15. Through the use of amoisture-proof liner 17, the unique design of the assembly protects thesides and to a large extent the bottom of the layers of product 21 fromexposure to the air, thereby further diminishing the amount of totalsurface area exposed. Finally, the upper tray 23 of the assembly coversthe upper layer of product during storage or shipment, thereby furtherdiminishing the total amount of surface area of product exposed.

In addition to the limited exposure of product to air, the shippingassembly 11, especially the upper and lower blocks of insulatingmaterial, insulate the product from the environment, preventing theproduct from warming quickly in non-refrigerated environments, tofurther diminish spoilage.

The unique design of the shipping assembly prevents the product beingshipped from damage. The use of the slotted shipping container 15 inconnection with the outer shipping container 13 protects the sides ofthe block of product formed by the layers by a double layer ofcorrugated paper. Advantageously, the slotted container 15 is onlyenough smaller than the outer container 11 that it is able to slidesnugly into the cavity formed by the sides 29 of the outer container 13.This enables the sides 29 of the outer container 13 to reinforce thesides 35 of the slotted container 15, preventing them from bowingoutward and/or twisting out of alignment during shipment. This isimportant in that it facilitates the cutting of the layers of productinto uniform cubes or kebab.

Another important aspect of the invention which prevents the product ofthe assembly from being damaged is the presence of the skewers extendingvertically through the cube of densely packed product. The layers ofproduct reinforce the skewers, and the skewers resist compression andtensile stresses on the assemblies. As a result, the assemblies provideyet additional space savings during shipping through their ability to bestacked upon one another without damage to the product. As it isanticipated that the assembly will be shipped with the layers of productin their uncut state, the interior of the block of product formed by thelayers will be further protected from injury by the surrounding denselypacked product. Further, the process of inserting the skewers throughthe layers of product has the affect of densely packing the layers ofproduct together, creating a stronger more condensed unit.

Another important aspect of the invention is that the shipping assembly11 takes up virtually no more room at the restaurant or butcher shopthan would the product itself. Actually, when a significant amount ofproduce is used, the storage of the partially-processed produce canrequire significantly less space than the unprocessed meat and produce.The entire assembly can simply be stored in an ordinary refrigerationunit until such time as it is desired to further process the product,cutting the block of product into individual kebabs. Due to theextremely inexpensive nature of the materials used to construct thenon-product portion of the shipping assembly, the non-product portion ofthe shipping assembly may be simply discarded. Thus, the assemblyprovides guides for the fast and easy cutting of product into uniformkebabs or stew meat, without the attendant drawbacks of relatively highcost and necessary storage space.

Although the use of the outer container 13 is desirable, it would bepossible to utilize a shipping assembly without an outer container. Suchan assembly would generally include a liner to protect both the slottedcontainer 15 and the product 21 within from damage. Advantageously, theliner would include a longer skirt which could be sealed over theproduct during shipment. In the alternative, the slotted container couldbe provided with flaps or a separate top to seal the product within theassembly.

The use of the assembly 11 of the present invention will now be brieflydescribed. First, the liner 17 is inserted into the inner container 15and the inner container itself is inserted into the outer container 13.The lower block of insulating material 49 is then inserted into theinner container 15 and the lower tray 25 is inserted over the block 49.Next, layers of product 21 are stacked within the inner container 15 ontop of the lower tray 25. When enough layers of product 21 have beenstacked within the inner container 15 to reach the top of the slots 37of the inner container, the upper tray 23 is inserted into the open topof the inner container 15 until the top of the sides 55 of the uppertray 23 are flush with the tops of the sides 35 of the inner container15. The pointed ends 61 of the skewers 27 are then inserted by hand orwith a simple plunging device through the series of apertures 57 in thelower surface 53 of the upper tray 23, through each of the plurality oflayers of product 21, through the corresponding series of apertures 47in the lower tray and into the block of insulating material 49 beneaththe upper surface 45 of the lower tray 25. The upper block of insulatingmaterial 63 is then inserted into the inner container 15 between thevertical sides 55 of the upper tray 23, and the flaps 31 of the outercontainer 13 are sealed closed for storage or shipment.

Upon delivery to the desired destination, or when the product is desiredto be removed from storage for further processing, the outer container13 can be slipped off the slotted container 15 or, more easily, simplytorn or cut away. Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, after the outercontainer 13 has been removed, a cutting device 67, such as a knife, ishorizontally inserted through the top of each pair of correspondingvertical slots through the liner 17 and the top layers of product 21.The cutting device is then sawed horizontally back and forth until thecutting device slices through th elayers of product down to the uppersurface 45 of the lower tray 25. Since each of the slots 37 are spacedan equal distance from the adjacent slot or vertical edge of the innercontainer 15, after this process has been repeated for each pair ofcorresponding vertical slots (for example, 39 and 41), the product willbe cut into perfectly matched kebabs. To remove the kebabs from thecontainer the cutting device 67 is inserted through the peripheralmostvertical slot on one of the sides 35 and is used to cut through theslotted container upward from the top of the vertical slot to the top ofthe slotted container. This process is then repeated at the oppositeperipheralmost vertical slot of the side and the central portion of theside between the slots can be pulled back, exposing the rows ofperfectly matched kebabs. Alternatively, the sides of the slottedcontainer could be cut away in a different manner, or the remains of themoisture-resistant liner 17 could be used to lift the kebabs from thecontainer 15. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the resulting kebab 67 has arectangular cross section and four crisp straight vertical sides.

The assembly 11 may also be shipped with the layers of product 21already cut into cubes, in which case the skewers would hold the cutkebabs in place. Specifically, the ends of the skewers 27 would berestrained from horizontal movement by the upper and lower trays 23, 25,and the amount of movement of the product would be limited by theskewers 27 and by the force of the adjacent cubes of product against oneanother. As a result, damage to the product should be significantly lessthan when the kebabs are packed in bundles together.

When the layers of product 21 are cut into cubes prior to shipment, theamount of air contacting the sides of the cubes is minimized by thepresence of the virtually perfectly matched surface of product of theneighboring kebab flush against the sides of the cubes.

Thus, there is provided a shipping and storage assembly which providesfor the convenient shipment, storage and assembly of kebabs with aminimum of wasted space and product spoilage.

I claim:
 1. A method of shipping and processing product with a generallyrectangular cutting jig having two pairs of opposing vertical sides,each of said pair of opposing sides of said jig including at least oneslot for receiving the blade of a cutting device, wherein said one slotis aligned with a corresponding slot in said opposing side, comprisingthe steps of:sealing said slots of said jig for shipment; inserting aplurality of layers of product between said two pairs of opposing sidesof said jig; securing said plurality of layers of product within saidtwo pairs of opposing sides of said jig; shipping said jig to a newlocation with said plurality of layers of product within said jig andsaid slots sealed; unsealing said slots; and using said jig for guidingthe cutting of said plurality of layers of product within said jig. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein said slots are unsealed while said jig isbeing used for guiding the cutting of said plurality of layers ofproduct within said jig.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprisingthe step of disposing of said jig after unsealing said slots.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, further comprising the step of inserting a pluralityof skewers through said plurality of layers of product when said slotsare sealed.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein said skewers are insertedprior to the transported of said jig.